Prior art dispensers, such as paper towel dispensers, toilet paper dispensers, and other dispensers for paper products distributed on rolls, generally fall into two categories: touchless sensor-type dispensers, wherein a user typically is required to wave their hand in front of a proximity sensor to initiate a motorized dispensing cycle of a portion of the desired product; and pushbutton or manual advance dispensers, wherein a user must contact a surface of the dispenser, either to push a button or to advance a manual assembly, to receive a portion of the desired product. These dispensers have faced substantial difficulties. For example, with the common “touchless” sensor-type dispensers, the sensor has proven to be relatively problematic in its responsiveness to different individuals and its performance in noisy environments. Furthermore, as the sensor is usually positioned on or behind the casing of the dispenser, often users will still come in contact with the portion of the casing or the sensor space when initiating a dispensing cycle. Thus, germs and diseases can be transmitted from person to person. For the pushbutton or manual dispensers, the user must come into contact with the dispenser to activate or utilize the dispenser, and thus germs are even more likely to be transmitted from person to person.